1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to game of chance and, more specifically, to a scratch ticket instant lottery game that generally simulates the playing of a Texas Hold'Em Poker card game.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lottery games and instant games, whether run by governmental or private entities, have proven to be quite popular, and go back some time in history. Participation in a game gives a person a chance to win a cash or a merchandise prize while also allowing private parties and lottery authorities to collect monies for public or charitable purposes. When taxed, the sales from games also provide additional revenue to state and city governments.
Instant lottery games are generally based on revealing pre-determined game symbols, the games having a pre-determined outcome based on the programmed game parameters. While these games are generally profitable, they are not always very interesting to play. In order for a new lottery game to attract players, different themes have been developed for instant win lottery games.  One of the examples of a game with a card game theme is Texas Hold'Em poker game as disclosed by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,407,199 and 6,435,500 B2. However, the games disclosed by these patents are mostly interactive games in which a set of three hands are displayed to a player, who will then choose one of the hands to play. After choosing one hand to play, a corresponding set of community cards is revealed. If the player has chosen the set of community cards that provides him with the highest possible choice, the player wins the corresponding prize. In the prior art game, the player does not play against an opponent and the chance of winning is one out of three.
Accordingly, it is desirous to have an instant win Texas Hold'Em styled poker lottery game that is easy to play, and which presents some challenge to the player. Such game could additionally provide the player more chances to win than a standard scratch-off lottery game. It is thus to such a game that the present invention is primarily directed.